Carla Bruni criticizes Pope Benedict XVI on condoms

Carla Bruni has evidently had a religious de-awakening:

"Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy said: "I was born Catholic, I was baptised, but in my life I feel profoundly secular.

"I find that the controversy coming from the Pope's message – albeit distorted by the media – is very damaging.

"In Africa it's often Church people who look after sick people. It's astonishing to see the difference between the theory and the reality.

"I think the Church should evolve on this issue. It presents the condom as a contraceptive which, incidentally, it forbids, although it is the only existing protection," she told Femme Actuelle, the women's magazine." (UK Telegraph)

Gerald Warner responds:

"Even from a secular viewpoint, if we did not have the wise words of Carla Bruni to guide us we might have lent credence to the Catholic abstinence campaign in Uganda which reduced the 18 per cent HIV infection rate among adults in 1992 to 5 per cent in 2007.

Without Bruni, we might be tempted to listen to uninformed commentators such as the director of the AIDS Prevention Center at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies who said: "The best evidence we have supports the Pope's comments."

Gotta love British irony.

Cardinal Pell says "Choice, not condoms, make the difference with AIDS"

Choice is only a bad thing when we abuse it for bad decisions (for instance, when we choose abortion).

"Choice, not condoms, will make the difference with AIDS" is a good way of re-framing the question, according to Cardinal Pell. Because a mountain of rubber won't solve the world's problems (my words).

Curing disease is a wonderful thing. But converting hearts and lives? Now that's even better.

"Condoms sometimes needed, Portuguese bishop says"

Dissent?

A Portuguese bishop has said that people with AIDS must use condoms to prevent the spread of the disease, apparently contradicting Pope Benedict XVI, who said the distribution of condoms could endanger public health.

Speaking to journalists, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Porto Manuel Clemente said condoms in such cases are "not only recommendable, they can be ethically obligatory."

... He added that the people giving the pope advice "should be more learned." (AP)

Outrageous: "Facebook users wage condom campaign against Pope"

Science rarely restrains Stupidity:

Critics took to the social networking site Facebook to voice their fury over Pope Benedict's remark that condoms do not prevent HIV.

Thousands have pledged to send the pontiff millions of condoms to protest the controversial comment he made to journalists as he flew to Cameroon last week.

... "The clergy aren't supposed to have sex at all, but they are free to tell people how to conduct themselves? That's like a girl who wears no make-up as the CEO of CoverGirl," one member posted on the page, "Condoms for Pope Benedict XVI." (CNN)

Before they start trying to figure out international postage, they might consider reading (senior Harvard research scientist) Edward Green's op-ed in this Sunday's Washington Post: "The Pope May Be Right".

Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus comments: "We need more people like Dr. Green, who won't let politics color their objective judgment and more journalists who will pay attention."

Meanwhile the UK "Lancet medical journal [has] accused Pope Benedict XVI of distorting scientific evidence in his statement that condoms worsen the AIDS crisis. It said he should retract the comments.

Finally, through Zenit, a reference to "HIV/AIDS in Africa: What is the Science actually saying?".

Secretariat of State responsible for post-editing of papal comments?

So it seems. CNS blog explaining how what the pope said on the airplane ... well, changed, by the time his comments were published by the Vatican:

Even allowing for translation differences, the pope didn’t speak of a “risk.” He said what he said.

The Vatican made some other changes, too. For example, the pope said you couldn’t resolve the problem of AIDS only with money, explaining that assistance programs require a “soul” and spiritual help as well.

But in the official Vatican version, “money” was, strangely, replaced by the phrase “advertising slogans.”

Asked about the discrepancies, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the tape is normally transcribed and then the text passes through the Secretariat of State for slight editing — to put it into good Italian if there are discontinuous expressions. But modifying the meaning of what the pope said is not supposed to be done, he said.

Father Lombardi said he would have to verify what happened in this case and correct it if necessary.

This, of course, is exactly what I predicted yesterday would happen.

So why does the Secretariat of State get to oversee simple transcription tasks instead of the Vatican Press Office? Evidently because they like exercising editorial control over what the Pope says ... which I don't necessarily have a problem with in theory, but how it's being practiced now just makes a complete mess of things.

Do the homework, please!

More on Condoms

Some follow-up links to the story we've been covering the last couple days:

• The Cathoholic: Condoms, the Pope & Africa
• NRO: Benedict Has It Right (good article)
• Kathryn Jean Lopez: Media coverage of papal comments on AIDS in Africa is March madness.
• Whispers: Damage Control, PopeTrip Edition
• Off the Record: African wife-beaters urged to practice "safe-sox"

Was Pope Benedict misquoted on condoms in Africa? Maybe not.

Damian Thompson proposes that he was:

The Vatican has just published its transcript of the Pope's comments about AIDS in Africa and it turns out he said that condoms risk making the problem worse.

Maybe it doesn't make much difference, but the English-speaking press had the Pope saying that it "even aggravates the problems". Not quite the same resonance; not as headline-worthy.

The CNS blog meanwhile reports on a clarification issued by Vatican spokesman Fr. Lombardi, this after CNS's own John Thavis claimed Pope Benedict to have said the distribution of condoms "only increases the problem of AIDS."

... now, this is not the end of the story. Here's why:

The Vatican press office has royally flubbed its handling of these situations before.

I remember breathing a sigh of relief last year during the pope's in-flight interview on his way to the United States that nothing went wrong, because things did go wrong in 2003 during the pope's in-flight interview on his way to Brazil. The Vatican press office's solution was to issue a toned-down version of the pope's remarks about Mexican lawmakers the next day.

The Vatican press office might have decided to apply that same solution today. Especially since, from what I've seen, Fr. Lombardi has not specifically claimed that the mainstream media's reporting of the pope's words was in fact erroneous.

One thing we can be sure about: because the Vatican has denied claims made by the mainstream media about what the pope actually said, you can bet that the mainstream media sources are going to go back to their audio/video recordings of the interview and double-check what he said.

So be prepared - possibly - for an audio or video clip of the Pope, well, misspeaking.

Then again, this could just be media bias. Time will tell. Stay tuned. And be aware of the history, too.

update: Ruth Gledhill agrees about the comments (though I don't agree with her about condoms).

update 2: sure enough.... "It looks like some idiot in the Vatican press office tampered with the Pope's quotes. Time for sackings"

Papal comment on condoms and AIDS sparks criticism

Back in October, when the Pope's visit to Africa was first announced, I predicted three things I believed would make their way into the mainstream media's talking points about the trip. I'll repeat my second prediction:

• "The Church's prohibition against condoms is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis (false)"

Sure enough, on the airplane to Africa yesterday, this was one of the first questions asked of the pope, if the Church's approach to HIV/AIDS is "unrealistic and ineffective". Here's how the pope responded:

"It is my belief believe that the most effective presence on the front in the battle against HIV/AIDS is in fact the Catholic Church and her institutions. ... The problem of HIV/AIDS cannot be overcome with mere slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanisation of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with the suffering, a readiness - even through personal sacrifice - to stand by those who suffer".

And now, the deluge of outcry which I predicted:

• Reuters: Vatican defends pope condoms stand, criticism mounts
• CNN Commentary from Roland S. Martin: Pope wrong on condoms
• Background from the CDC: How Effective Are Latex Condoms in Preventing HIV?

Unfortunately I don't have the time at present to pursue the topic - hopefully I will later this evening.

But here's my quick punch-list of facts that people always seem to miss on this issue:

• In cases of rape, one can still "defend" oneself by using barrier-method contraception, so the Church isn't condemning exploited people to a deadly disease as well as sexual battery.
• The Church's teaching on the immorality of contraception is not dictated by scientific claims that condoms don't actually prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS - it's far deeper.
• The only people who listen to the Church's teaching against contraception are faithful, practicing Catholics, so one must wonder how much "progress" the Pope can be accused of holding back when just faithful, practicing Catholics are the ones listening to him.
• Following the last point, it's pretty clear that the secularist solution of throwing condoms at the HIV/AIDS scourge isn't working, and that an alternative solution which addresses the fundamental anthropological and cultural causes of HIV/AIDS transmission is required. The secularist solution is simply more science and medical technology, which isn't enough. {update: The city I live in is some proof of that}

George Pitcher at the UK Telegraph also mounts a defense, but again, I haven't had the chance to read it.

Pope says address AIDS by also working to change sexual behavior

So true, and a preview of what I predict he will say when he visits Africa next year:

In his 2009 World Day of Peace message released today, Pope Benedict XVI urged the world to fight moral underdevelopment and problem behavior in order to achieve victory over the AIDS pandemic.

Pope Benedict decried the tactics of developed countries that “make economic aid conditional upon the implementation of anti-life policies” to countries suffering from AIDS. The message pointed out that developing countries with higher birth rates have a better chance to emerge from poverty, and concluded, “Population is proving to be an asset, not a factor that contributes to poverty.”

Rather than use barrier methods of birth control as a means to control AIDS, Pope Benedict called for a return to morality and respect for true marriage. “It is especially hard to combat AIDS, a major cause of poverty, unless the moral issues connected with the spread of the virus are also addressed.”

However, in order to address the moral issues involved, “First and foremost, educational campaigns are needed, aimed especially at the young, to promote a sexual ethic that fully corresponds to the dignity of the person.” The Pope thereby excluded what are known as “comprehensive sex education” programs as a strategy to deal with AIDS, instead supporting programs promoting abstinence until marriage and fidelity in marriage. He praised the effectiveness of educational programs that promote chastity and true marriage: “Initiatives of this kind have already borne important fruits, causing a reduction in the spread of AIDS.” (LSN)

The bullet talking points I gather from this:

• don't force anti-life policies under the pretense of economic aid
• population growth is the way out of poverty, not into
• anti-HIV/AIDS measures are useless if they ignore the underlying sexual/moral causes
• "abstinence until marriage and fidelity in marriage" promotes human dignity and health
• "our way works, their way doesn't", so inform yourself and don't lose courage!

Condom Ads Target Catholics on World AIDS Day

Steve Waldman:

Planetwire.org, a website on family planning issues, reports:

Two new radio advertisements for condom use began to target Catholics in the U.S. Hispanic community here today, World AIDS Day, with the message that "good Catholics use condoms" to protect the people they love.

Full report here.

... and guess who's behind it? That offensive organization Catholics for Choice. More propaganda:

One of the ads features a grandmother talking about her grandson, who is gay, and the other involves a couple discussing the importance of love, faith and condom use in their relationship. "We are Catholics and people of faith and we know sex is sacred and that we need to take care of each other. And this means using a condom every time we have sex," the second ad says.

I'm trying to find a parallel to reveal the double-standard here: how making these lying claims about Catholics is acceptable, while patently-false truth-claims about other religions would be derided. It's like saying "good Mormons use alcohol, tabacco, coffea and tea" or "good Muslims adore Jesus Christ as God" ... imagine how those ad campaigns would be received.

I dunno, I'm just getting really fed up with Catholics for Choice and I'm too distracted right now to think up a comprehensive plan to counter-act their dissembling efforts. Especially their tactic of turning World AIDS Day into "world scapegoat-the-Catholic-Church-for-AIDS-Day."

This ploy becomes incredibly tragic when one realizes that the Church's teaching on abstinence before marriage and fidelity within marriage, when widely practiced, does more to reduce the incidence of new HIV/AIDS infections than all the condoms Catholics for Choice could ever throw at the problem.

Outrageous: "Condom ringtone launched in India"

Yet another desensitizing initiative contrary to human dignity undertaken by condom-promoters:

A cellphone ringtone that chants "condom, condom!" has been launched in India to promote safe sex and tackle the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The "condom a cappella" has been designed to break down Indians' reluctance to discuss condom use and to make wearing a condom more acceptable.

Organisers of the campaign, funded by the foundation set up by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, hope the ringtone will become a craze among young Indians.

About 2.5 million people live with HIV in India, said the BBC World Service Trust, the charity behind the ringtone, which was released this month....

... "Ringtones have become such personal statements that a specially created condom ringtone seemed just the right way of combining a practical message with a fun approach," said Radharani Mitra, creative director of the BBC World Service Trust.

"The idea is to tackle the inhibitions and taboos that can be associated with condoms." (AFP)

Frankly, if I were a young guy living in India without Catholic morals, and I heard some girl's cell phone start ringing next to me with the words "condom, condom" ...

Well, call me naive, but how exactly is this supposed to reduce instances of STD-infection?!

Claim: Catholic Church in India approves condoms for married couples

Of course, claims like this surface a few times a year, and with it - invariably - the corresponding claim that the Vatican is preparing to revise it's own stance on condom use in certain cases. DNAindia.com:

Faced with widespread criticism that its strident anti-condom stand has killed millions of people affected with AIDS, the Catholic church may review its policy. Church sources say the Vatican is preparing a document on allowing the use of condoms in certain cases.

Church sources said Pope Benedict XVI, who had two years ago maintained that “we have not changed our minds about the condom thing”, is moving away from the “absolutist stand of his precedessor John Paul II”.

On the eve of World AIDS Day, the Indian Catholic church sources said on Thursday that married couples could use condoms.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), under the banner of the National Catholic Coalition for HIV & AIDS in India, is organising a pledge by one million youth across the country between November 30 and December 1.

Though the five pledges do not exhort the youth to use condoms, church sources said married couples may use condom. It is forbidden for others on the grounds that it promotes promiscuity.

I'm currently looking for some sort of confirmation regarding these claims made about the Catholic Church in India allowing condoms to infected married couples. If anyone finds one, please let me know.